Now that America is experiencing an economic slowdown brought on by a banking crisis, many Americans feel that they are missing out on the American Dream. But what is the American Dream?
I think that it used to be that a poor, uneducated person can come to America, work hard at his greatest talent and become very, very rich. His children will be brought up with everything money can buy and go on to father generations of rich, well educated, attractive Americans. This dream is still alive for the billions of poor, uneducated people all over the world - that if they can get to America, the Promised Land, they will also be rich and successful. It seems almost guaranteed.
For Americans after World War II, the Dream became having a good job, owning one’s own home with two cars in the garage, having at least two kids and retiring with a generous pension after a long career of good work.
But sometime around the 1970s or 80s the definition changed again. In recognition of the fact that while all of us are created equal some have much more than others and some have very much less, we decided to level the playing field by stressing variety over performance, diversity over excellence and entitlement over hard work. We now live in a country where half the population pays no taxes while one percent of our people own and control most of our country’s wealth. A recent study found that the average white American has assets (like homes, bank accounts, IRAs, pensions, gold etc.) worth 20 times more than the average black or Hispanic Americans do - $120,000 versus $6,000. And more alarming that 90% of Americans have total assets worth less than $600,000. We are hearing that now one in five children lives in poverty defined as $22,000 a year for a family of four. (This same amount is what many of our congressional representatives go through each month for their lifestyle.) We have 14 million people out of work instead of the normal 4.5 million. There are now almost 50 million Americans on Food Stamps up 40% in a decade.
What is our American Dream now - more generous Food Stamp benefits, another extension of unemployment benefits, a lowering not only of our mortgage interest rate but also the principal owed or more soup kitchens serving better quality food?
And what is the Dream for our children? Can they look forward to excellent, affordable education, at least K-12? Can they look forward to getting objective and comprehensive news coverage from the media or to having political candidates who have the country’s interest at heart and the intellect and integrity to realize their highest hopes for the people? Must they continue to work to fund the biggest military force the world has ever known covering every continent with almost 1000 military bases filled with our 2.5 million military personnel or foreign aid to cruel dictators to prevent worse dictators from taking over? Will they have good jobs that are neither outsourced nor insourced and will those jobs provide them with a substantial pension when they can retire at age 75? Will Social Security and Medicare still exist and will living and affording it still be possible?
What could the American Dream be now and in the future?
Could it truly be the greatest country with the greatest people who are united as a people not distracted with their identification with their foreign ancestors? Could we be a country rich enough to eliminate poverty among our people, wise enough to dramatically reduce waste and pollution, practical enough to realize the primary importance of providing the very best education from kindergarden through college, secure enough to pull our troops out of foreign lands and wars knowing that the best defense is a strong economy and an educated united populace? Could we once again be known as a country that makes great things that the world wants while able to be self sufficient in raw materials, finished products and needed services?
Is it just a dream and not an entitlement or guarantee? Yes, but it is a dream that we can make come true if we work hard enough for it rather than sitting around waiting for it to happen.
I think that it used to be that a poor, uneducated person can come to America, work hard at his greatest talent and become very, very rich. His children will be brought up with everything money can buy and go on to father generations of rich, well educated, attractive Americans. This dream is still alive for the billions of poor, uneducated people all over the world - that if they can get to America, the Promised Land, they will also be rich and successful. It seems almost guaranteed.
For Americans after World War II, the Dream became having a good job, owning one’s own home with two cars in the garage, having at least two kids and retiring with a generous pension after a long career of good work.
But sometime around the 1970s or 80s the definition changed again. In recognition of the fact that while all of us are created equal some have much more than others and some have very much less, we decided to level the playing field by stressing variety over performance, diversity over excellence and entitlement over hard work. We now live in a country where half the population pays no taxes while one percent of our people own and control most of our country’s wealth. A recent study found that the average white American has assets (like homes, bank accounts, IRAs, pensions, gold etc.) worth 20 times more than the average black or Hispanic Americans do - $120,000 versus $6,000. And more alarming that 90% of Americans have total assets worth less than $600,000. We are hearing that now one in five children lives in poverty defined as $22,000 a year for a family of four. (This same amount is what many of our congressional representatives go through each month for their lifestyle.) We have 14 million people out of work instead of the normal 4.5 million. There are now almost 50 million Americans on Food Stamps up 40% in a decade.
What is our American Dream now - more generous Food Stamp benefits, another extension of unemployment benefits, a lowering not only of our mortgage interest rate but also the principal owed or more soup kitchens serving better quality food?
And what is the Dream for our children? Can they look forward to excellent, affordable education, at least K-12? Can they look forward to getting objective and comprehensive news coverage from the media or to having political candidates who have the country’s interest at heart and the intellect and integrity to realize their highest hopes for the people? Must they continue to work to fund the biggest military force the world has ever known covering every continent with almost 1000 military bases filled with our 2.5 million military personnel or foreign aid to cruel dictators to prevent worse dictators from taking over? Will they have good jobs that are neither outsourced nor insourced and will those jobs provide them with a substantial pension when they can retire at age 75? Will Social Security and Medicare still exist and will living and affording it still be possible?
What could the American Dream be now and in the future?
Could it truly be the greatest country with the greatest people who are united as a people not distracted with their identification with their foreign ancestors? Could we be a country rich enough to eliminate poverty among our people, wise enough to dramatically reduce waste and pollution, practical enough to realize the primary importance of providing the very best education from kindergarden through college, secure enough to pull our troops out of foreign lands and wars knowing that the best defense is a strong economy and an educated united populace? Could we once again be known as a country that makes great things that the world wants while able to be self sufficient in raw materials, finished products and needed services?
Is it just a dream and not an entitlement or guarantee? Yes, but it is a dream that we can make come true if we work hard enough for it rather than sitting around waiting for it to happen.
Americans have the attitude of looking at the positive side: how can I make this happen ... Dream or creative imagination ... it will be new this time around!
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